


A Mime at a Fair

by Badgermole



Series: Colors [17]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: American Sign Language, Autism, Cat, Colors, Crofters, Equinox, Fear of Heights, Ferris Wheels, Festivals, Food, Gen, Mimes, Nonverbal Communication, Sign Language, Sunsets, candle, carnival food, dad!logan, heights, kid!virgil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21611782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badgermole/pseuds/Badgermole
Summary: It's the Equinox which means it's time for the Equinox Fest! The Sanders Family heads to the part flea market, part farmers market, and part carnival.**Bonus Chapter: Squoosh and Dandelion hang out.****Bonus Chapter: Virgil and Roman ride the Ferris Wheel.**(Just read it, Nike Swoosh!)
Relationships: Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Colors [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1184909
Comments: 46
Kudos: 273





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Format note:  
> “ “ = verbal speech  
> < > = Virgil’s word pointing  
> [ ] = sign language

Only a few things got Virgil  _ really _ excited to leave the house, playdates with Roman and the Equinox Fest. 

Hosted on both the spring and fall equinox, the Equinox Fest was part farmers market, part flea market, and part carnival. It was frightening and chaotic from the outside, but once you got in it was like a well-oiled machine. A busy human machine weaving between metal flashing rides and pop-up tent vendors. It was loud and bright and crowded, but Virgil loved it.

The mom-and-pop stores and farmers were still setting up their stalls when the Sanders family arrived. Patton was buzzing with excitement as they weaved between completed and in-progress stalls. Logan stopped a few times to help a few vendors that he recognized from fests past. Patton happily introduced himself to the happy folks while Virgil fiddled with merchandise that caught his eye.

The slow trek let the family get alcimated. They were able to learn the layout and get used to the hustle and bustle of people, even if it would be nothing compared to later. Logan had been shocked that Patton had never been. 

_ “Is there anything specific you’d like to do at the Fest?” Logan had asked last week. _

_ “The Fest?” Logan’s head snapped up from the loose schedule and shopping list he was working on. He stared, almost accousitory, at his partner.  _

_ “The Equinox Fest.” Logan explained. “You know: flea market, farmers market, carnival. A beautiful monstrous mish-mash that happens only twice a year.” _

_ Patton shook his head but moved to wrap himself around Logan’s shoulders. Logan couldn’t shake his disbelief.  _

_ “How could you live here and not know about the Equino Fest!” He went to raise his arms but found himself trapped. _

_ Hearing the conversation, Virgil wandered in. The purple boy had both his jacket and backpack on and Squoosh in his arms. He quickly rocked back and forth while hopping slightly. Careful not to drop Squoosh, he pointed toward the door. _

_ “Even Virgil knows about this?!” Patton exclaimed over Logan’s laughter. _

_ “We still have a couple days Purple,” Logan was able just barely stop his laughter enough to get the sentence out. It was short lived as Virgil pouted and grumpily stomped away. _

“Logan!” Someone called out.

“Crofter’s!” Logan called back. Patton didn’t think he had ever seen Logan move that fast as he headed toward a couple in their completed booth.

“So you make the famous jelly?” Patton asked once he and Virgil finally made it over. Virgil quickly ducked around the table headed toward the gentleman in a Crofter’s branded apron, his name tag read “Mr. Crofter”.

“Famous, award-winning, amazing, best in the county.” The woman waved her hand around as she chuckled. “Tomayto tomahto.”

As Patton chatted and indulged himself on the free samples “Mrs. Crofter” handed him, Patton had to admit the jelly tasted even better knowing such kind people were behind the company. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Virgil rocking and bouncing so much he was worried the boy was going to fall over. Mr. Crofter was crouched down rummaging through his pockets for something.

“I know, I know. I’m old. I forget where I put things.” Mr. Crofter laughed at seeing how excited Virgil was. Virgil only replied with a small whine and a grabby hand motion. “I remember when you used to be a patient quiet boy. Whatever happened to him?”

Virgil blew a raspberry and motioned again. The older man lightly shook his head and finally pulled a Ziploc bag from his pocket. The bag was nearly bursting with purple wrapped Hershey’s Kisses. Virgil went to grab it from his hand, but Mr. Crofter quickly pulled it away.

He ‘tsked’ and wagged his finger. “Not yet bugger. You’re supposed to say something first.”

Virgil huffed but clumsily pulled his word card out. He flicked his eyes over to the candy before quickly tapping his card.

<Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.>

“Of course you can have it!” Mr. Crofter finally let Virgil have the bag of candy. Virgil dropped the word card in favor of wiggling his fingers through the chocolates. 

“Yes, well I think that is everything.” Logan’s voice came from behind. He carried a wooden crate overflowing with jars to the front of the stall. 

“Don’t forget this Purple.” Mr. Crofter quickly dropped the word card into Virgil’s pocket before the younger followed his father.

“Are you sure that’s enough?” Patton joked as he poked through the various flavors Logan had meticulously picked out.

Logan took a step back to better get a sense of the quantity of jelly. “Hm…” He brought his hand up to his chin in thought. “Yes, it should last until the next Equinox Fest.”

“The next equinox…?” Patton knew Logan loved his Crofter’s but he guessed he never really knew how much.

“Yes,” Logan said rather matter-of-factly. “Crofter’s is the only jelly I put in my belly.” 

Before they knew it, the Fest was in full swing. People were moving each and every way. Vendors called out trying to entice customers to stop and buy. Carnival games let out a cacophony of sounds while the rides flashed bright colors as they zipped around. 

The Princes had arrived shortly after the Sanders had left the Crofter’s booth. Now Virgil was sprinting around after Roman from booth to booth. He had pulled his beanie down to cover his ears but the day was going well. The adults gave them space but at least one of them kept an eye on the two boys. 

They were too small for most of the rides but the pair seemed to have fund going around and around and around and around on the merry-go-round. Virgil was entertained by all the colors while Roman had fun claiming one of the horses as his noble steed.

The trio of adults sat off to the side near the ride’s exit. Their bench wasn’t quite made for three grown men but Patton and Logan didn’t seem to mind being nearly on top of each other. Thomas on the other hand was doing his best to balance on the small corner. 

“Their sugar crashes are going to be here quite a handful.” Logan shook his head as he saw Virgil not so subtly handing Roman some more of his special purple Hershey kisses.

“Their sugar crashes,” Thomas raised his eyebrow, “what about yours?” Logan looked down at the powdered sugar covered funnel cake in his lap and Patton’s blue stained sticky cotton candy fingers.

“It’s not my fault that I didn’t know Virgil didn’t like cotton candy.” Patton said innocently, earning an eye roll from both Logan and Thomas. It wasn’t like the pair had told Patton before he bolted away toward the vendor.

Logan pulled out his buzzing phone. Dee was going to stop by the house on his way home to check on Squoosh. Everytime they left her alone she got into tearing something apart. Logan really hoped that she would grow out of it soon... he didn’t like spending so much on toilet paper. Looking at the message, he was surprised to find that it was a selfie of Dee and the cat. Dee had given the damage report a few hours ago. He hadn’t expected his brother to stay.

_ Dee: _ Fell asleep on your couch.

_ Dee: _ Trapped. Send help.

_ Logan:  _ I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do. You’ll just have to hope for the best.

“Tell him he can’t move. Don’t even try to get up.” Patton supplied rather seriously after squealing at the adorable picture.

Logan had finished his funnel cake by the time his conversation with Dee ended. He looked up to find himself alone. For a fraction of a second, Logan panicked. Luckily he remembered that Patton and Thomas had followed the kids off deeper into the carnival.

Logan stretched before texting Patton inquiring about their location. Talking with his brother was good. It gave a break from the hustle and bustle of the festival. Normally Logan would spend a few minutes in the back of the Crofter’s stall, but it was nice to give them some space. Gerhard and Gabi were wonderful people and Logan knew that they didn’t mind. They were probably the closest people to grandparents that Virgil had. 

Logan’s phone buzzed and he set off toward his family. Carefully weaving between the other attendants, his thoughts returned to Grandparents. He wasn’t personally close to his parents, not that they were bad people or anything. He was just bad at keeping personal connections. Thinking back, the fire had really ended up splitting the family.

Logan shook those thoughts out of his head as he spotted Thomas and Patton in the crowd. The kids had led them toward the outer edge of the fest grounds. Perhaps Virgil needed some quiet as well. 

The corner was relatively secluded. It only had space for one performer but the acts were constantly rotating: clowns, musicians, magicians. Right now there was a mime. The crowd around them was small. Logan easily spotted Roman and Virgil sitting up front snacking on the purple wrapped chocolates. Roman looked rather bored, maybe just exhausted from the day’s activities. Virgil on the other hand seemed entranced by the silent man.

“If we want them to have a proper meal, we should probably pick something up before they fill up on chocolate.” Logan noted as he stood next to Patton.

Patton gently brushed powdered sugar off the front of Logan’s shirt. “If we  _ all _ have any hope of having a real meal, we should.” 

“The usual?” Thomas chirped before clarifying for Patton, “The diner.”

“It won’t be busy?” Patton asked. From here, Patton could see the tall neon sign peaking over building tops. 

“Everyone is too caught up here.” Logan supplied. 

_ One of the first times that Logan and Virgil had attended, Virgil ended up very overwhelmed. They had stumbled into the diner just to get away from all the sounds, and lights, and smells. Logan had noticed a few strange looks at the overloaded boy but none of the few patrons or staff commented. When Virgil had calmed, a waiter quietly gave them a menu and two cups of water.  _

_ “I’m glad that he’s doing better.” Logan had expected an undertone of malice, but the words were spoken like it was from personal experience. _

“Uuuuggggg. Are we going to leave soon?” Roman draped himself across his father’s lap.

“We were just about to head over to the diner.” Thomas ruffled Roman’s hair.

“Milkshakes!” Roman cheered accidentally smacking his father in his face.

Logan looked back over to the corner. The mime show had ended and Virgil was the last kid still over there. The small boy stood in front of the mime. His beanie was pulled down so that his eyes were just barely visible anymore. The mime moved his hands slowly in front of him. When he finished, Virgil copied the motions the best that he could. They were sloppy and mostly inaccurate but Logan could see the mime smile down at Virgil.

The mime gave a small wave as he noticed Logan approaching. Logan nodded back and hesitantly moved his hands.

[Hello. Nice to me meet you.]

The mimes smile spread across his face. His hands started to move quickly. They were quick to slow though at Logan’s rather blank face.

[Sorry. Little sign. Baby sign.]

The mime nodded and relaxed into a lean on an invisible wall. [Why do you know some sign?]

Logan raised his hands but wasn’t sure how to say what he wanted to. The mime raised his hand and pointed to his own lips. Was it better to butcher the language or to make the mime read his lips?

Logan pointed toward Virgil who was still trying to copy the motions from the mime and now his father. The teacher slowly moved his hand to fingerspell. [A-U-T-I-S-T-I-C] 

The mime nodded and watched as Virgil attempted to form the letters with his own fingers. When he looked back up, he looked a bit sad.

[He didn’t pick up signing. How does he communicate?]

“Purple, you should say hello to the man” Logan spoke. Virgil flinched at the sudden voice but held out his ID card for the mime.

The mime crouched down as he read over the card. [Nice to meet you Purple]

<What’s your favorite color?>

The mime thought for a second before tapping one of the black stripes on his shirt. Virgil smiled at the ground and took the card back. “Squoosh.”

Virgil waited for the man to stand back up before attempting to copy the signs.

[Purple?] Logan attempted to sign back. The mime nodded, first fingerspelling then repeating the actual sign.

[You L-O-G-A-N. Blue?] The mime asked. 

Logan once again tested out the color sign as he nodded.

[You?]

The mime made a motion before fingerspelling his name and repeating the motion again. [Anton, A-N-T-O-N, Anton]

[Nice to meet you Anton]

[Nice to meet you Blue]

[Nice to meet you] Virgil’s uncoordinated hands finally formed something comprehensible.


	2. Squoosh and Dandelion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Squoosh and Dandelion were up to while everyone else was at the Equinox Fest. (1st of 2 bonus chapters)

“Hey there Squoosh.” Dee knelt down to pet the kitten as she rubbed herself on his legs. Squoosh purred and gave Dee’s hand a sandpaper kiss.

The pair stayed like that for a bit, Dee was mostly too exhausted to stand up. Work was tiring but it paid well enough and was the one place that would actually hire him. His whole body hurt as he was finally able to straighten up.

“Come on,” Dee gently nudged Squoosh out of the way with his foot. “We have to check the damage you caused.” 

Squoosh meowed innocently. She continued to be a nuisance as she weaved between Dee’s legs. The human did his best to avoid stepping on Squoosh. He knew if he hurt the black fur ball that Virgil would have his head...Probably Patton too... okay, probably even Logan too. They checked the kitchen first. The hand towels that normally hung off the handle of the oven were pulled off. Luckily she hadn’t gone after the paper towels. 

Dee gave her a strong finger wave and a stern “No,” but she simply stretched out on one of the towels making herself comfortable.

“You know that makes you look even more guilty.” Dee gave a few tugs to the towel. Squoosh blankly blinked back giving no signs that she was going to move. Just as Dee was about to really yank the towel away Squoosh got off and trotted back around his legs.

Dee shook his head. He stood up and tossed the towel onto the counter. She could make it up there, but he really hoped that she wouldn’t. 

“The bathroom next?” Dee resumed his awkward shuffle toward the next room. 

Squoosh paused as Dee noticed the open door.  _ Who’s idea was it to teach a kitten to open a door?  _ Squoosh let out a shy meow. It was quite a mess in the small bathroom. The towels were pulled down and most of the toilet paper was piled below the holder on the floor. Small cuts from Squoosh’s nail littered the paper.

“You’re too smart for your own good.” Dee tsked and started cleaning up the toilet paper. She hadn’t made it through the whole roll this time which was a plus, but there was still a lot on the floor.

When Dee was done saving as much toilet paper as he could and hanging back up the towels, he found Squoosh in the living room attacking the scratching post. Dee shook his head and dropped his eyes to his phone, cats were weird. He send a quick damage report to his brother. 

Dee yawned and stretched his back out. He was looking forward to a hot shower when he got back to his own apartment. 

“Well, it was nice seeing you Squoosh.”

That’s when Dee notice the candle.

The lit candle.

The flame flicked back and forth. Phantom flames licked his scarred skin. Squoosh gave a worried meow at the suddenly tense atmosphere. Dee struggled through a shaky slow deep breath. 

The flame swayed slowly, oblivious to the danger it held. As if happening with super speed, Dee blew the candle out and slammed the lid down. He fell back into the couch and rested his head down into his hands. Squoosh sniffed Dee’s hand, but Dee was quick to swat her away.

The shaken man continued to try to force himself into taking slow deep breaths. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. The faint smell of vanilla and smoke wrapped around his racing thoughts.  _ It’s fine. Nothing happened. Everyone is okay. The house was empty but nothing happened… _ The house wasn’t empty.  _ Squoosh could’ve knocked the candle over.  _

He instinctively reached into his pocket, but his fingers wrapped around nothing. Virgil was quick to take the poker chip whenever Dee received a new one. 

_ It’s okay,  _ he tried screaming over the noise in his head.  _ It’s okay... _

A weight on his chest brought Dee back to consciousness. Squoosh’s tail slowly swished back and forth as she stayed curled in a ball on top of the human. Dee went to roll his neck but froze facing the ceiling. The candle was over on the table.  _ You blew it out, _ he tried to reason with himself.

Squoosh felt that her pillow had tensed, she gave a yawn before repositioning herself. Dee let his fingers card through the short hair. He didn’t feel panic exactly, moreso just exhaustion. Squoosh’s purring was a welcome break from the silence of an empty house. He could see why Virgil loved Squoosh so much.

Dee carefully pulled the phone from his pocket and snapped a photo with the kitten. He did his best to angle his face to hide his burns. He texted back and forth with Logan for a while before Logan wanted to call for ease of communication. Logan wasn’t one for small talk and Dee was still pretty tired so everything was going over his head. Luckily he was pretty cognizant when the topic turned to Virgil and how he was enjoying the Fest.

“He does okay with everything going on?” Dee hadn’t gone since he was a kid but he could only assume it had gotten crazier since then.

“We’ve been able to find the quiet nooks and corners around the fairgrounds. Virgil himself has gotten better at recognizing he is becoming overwhelmed and how to handle it.” Logan explained over the Fest’s background noise.

“He’s a smart kid.” Dee smiled and gently scratched behind Squoosh’s ears. Enough to get her purring but not enough to wake her. 

“Indeed. He has surrounded himself with very smart people.” Logan cleared his throat.

“Love you too.” Dee lightly shook his head. Growing up with Logan meant that even though he hadn’t been around the past couple of years, Dee could read between the lines of Logan-ese. He rolled his eyes as Logan got flustered on the other end. The chaotic yet somehow calming noise of the Equinox Fest filled the silence between the two brothers.

“Virgil has been spending most of his time on the merry-go-round.”

Dee’s breath hitched. “You know, Sandy and I met on a merry-go-round.” 

Logan gave a small hum. The yellow brother focused on the kitten sleeping on his chest. Silence dragged on from the other end of the line and Logan shifted uncomfortably on the bench. Perhaps he shouldn’t have brought up Sandy. He had thought it would be nice for Dee. His brother was still rather unpredictable. Logan was still trying to figure out how to approach topics like the fire and his wife.

“I did not mean to cause you distress.” Logan started.

“I’ve just had a long day. It’s nice. I appreciate it.” Dee kept his breathing even watching Squoosh rise and fall with his breaths. “Or I guess I will appreciate it.”

The phone call ended shortly after, neither had been paying attention to how long they’d been talking. Squoosh started to wake up from her cat nap. She stretched out and slowly started padding around Dee’s chest. Her tail happily whacked the human in the face as she passed each time.

“I see why my boy likes you so much.” 

Squoosh meowed and turned to lick Dee’s face. He went to turn his head so the animal got his non-burned side but Squoosh, the little jerk that she was, plopped a small paw onto Dee’s nose to stop him turning. He tensed as he watched her get closer and closer to his face. Squoosh paused just above his face before giving Dee a small quick kiss on his cheek.

Dee let out a shaky breath. He didn’t let anyone touch his burns. Heck, he barely let himself touch them. Squoosh didn’t seem to notice the impact of what she’d done. Instead she hopped off the couch and pooped in her litter box.


	3. A Sunset atop a Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil is finally tall enough to ride the Ferris Wheel. Roman may not be as courageous as he thought he was.

For once, Virgil was the one dragging Roman behind him and not the other way around. The small purple boy was determined as he bobbed and weaved between the still heavy crowd of the Equinox Fest. After eating and recovering in the much less stimulating environment of the diner, the Sanders and Princes returned to the fairgrounds for the last few hours of daylight.

Virgil was vibrating. His one hand was constantly tugging at its fistful of Roman’s sleeve. The other switched between rubbing his beanie and flicking the top of his ear. Everytime slow adults halted their movement, Virgil would let out a pained whine. He was on a mission and was not going to let anyone stop him not even his friend.

Roman may have been letting himself be pulled along by Virgil but he was also dragging his feet the best he could. He loved his friend and was honored to have him in his Kingdom’s Court but Roman had his limits. But also he was a prince, a courageous prince who battled the evil Dragon Witch  _ and won  _ many times. He helped his loyal citizens overcome their own fears. He could do this.

Roman gulped as he unwisely followed Virgil’s lead and tilted his head all the way back. Looming over the two small boys was the Ferris Wheel. The tallest attraction here which reached higher than the trees. Humongous metal beams stretched from the turning center barely holding the small two person baskets. A shiver raced down Roman’s spine. He tried to shake if off but his nerves had started growing as soon as the wheel poked over the rest of the festivities and into his line of sight.

Virgil was oblivious to his friend’s turmoil. Finally,  _ finally _ , he was tall enough to ride the Ferris Wheel. He didn’t care about the ride itself, no no he was excited for the sunset. He was going to be so high up, almost in the sky itself! He could barely imagine what it would be like surrounded by all the colors. He could barely even comprehend that it would be happening soon. Virgil excitedly tugged at Roman’s sleeve. 

“Red. Red. Red.” Virgil rocked on his feet as they waited on the slowly moving line. There were only a few people ahead but it was still too many for Virgil. Mr. Crofter was right, he absolutely was an impatient boy.

Roman didn’t reply, not that Virgil noticed. The princely boy gulped again. The Ferris Wheel seemed to keep getting bigger and bigger the closer they got. Virgil was so excited. He couldn’t let his friend go on alone. He had promised that he would and Roman did not break a promise. Instead he tried to turn his thoughts to the delicious chocolate shake he had with dinner. It was sooooo big and his dad let him get whipped cream and sprinkles and a cherry on top!

“Tickets?” The ride controller's voice burst through Roman’s happy thoughts. Virgil blew a raspberry as Roman rammed their last two tickets into the man’s hand. “Hop in.”

Virgil dropped Roman’s sleeve and darted onto the seat. He quickly did the small black strap around his waist and started rocking causing the basket to swing slightly.

“You getting on kid?” The man asked his eyes bouncing between the frozen Roman and the energetic Virgil.

Roman nodded. He was a courageous prince. Just as quickly as Virgil, Roman buckled the strap around his waist. Unlike Virgil, his speed was from fear not excitement. The worker reached above the two boys heads and dropped the metal bar across their laps.

“Okay, here you go!” The man put as much excitement into his voice as he could after such a long day. He didn’t want or need the kid freaking out on him.

The pair was about half way up the Ferris Wheel when the sun really started to dip down and the sky started changing colors. Roman was squeezing his eyes shut with a white knuckle grip on the metal bar. The metal bar that stood between him and the ground. The ground which was so so so far away now. At least Virgil was enjoying himself. Every so often, Roman would feel a light whack against his arm as his friend flapped. The purple boy was also humming which Roman was happy to find soothing. What wasn’t soothing though was the rocking.

Roman knew that the rocking was helping Virgil but it really wasn’t helping him. The basket jostled as it clicked another step closer to the top. They still had to reach the top  _ and  _ come back down.

“Purple…” Roman started meekly. “I… could you try something other than rocking?”

Virgil furrowed his eyebrows as he watched his friend. Roman peeked out toward Virgil before snapping his eyes back closed.  _ Too high. _ Virgil’s overall stimming increased but he was doing his best to channel it as something other than rocking. He really liked that one though.

He wasn’t as excited now. He was confused. His friend wasn’t happy. How could his friend be unhappy? They were going to see all the colors!

“Thanks Purple.” Red still didn’t look happy. He was less unhappy, but no more happy than before.

Roman found himself being squooshed. His eyes shot open startled. That was a bad decision. Their basket was nearly to the top. The treetops were down below and they were in the sky. Virgil giggled in Roman’s ear and his gaze snapped back to the basket. His friend had slid himself over nearly crushing Roman between his body and the wall of the basket. 

The basket lurched one more time before coming to rest at the highest point on the Ferris Wheel. Roman’s hands were still in a death grip with the metal bar but his eyes were open. He was doing his best not to look down. Virgil let out a big smile and squooshed himself a bit more into his friend.

The colors were beautiful.

[Nice.] Virgil slid his hand against his other. Roman quickly copied the sign before latching his hands back onto the bar.

They had seen sunsets before but this was so beautiful. The boys may have been young but knew it was something special. The sky was just so open. Trees and buildings were hidden somewhere down below not even in their peripheries. It really was like they were floating in the sky.

Beside him, Virgil was whispering colors to himself. Roman stopped himself from commenting on it. Instead he let his eyes find each color as Virgil said it. It felt like they were paused in time in a world all to themselves. Roman wondered if this was how his friend always experienced the world. It was so calm. 

Then as if all the time in the world passed and simultaneously none at all, their basket started its way back down. Roman squeezed his eyes shut again earning a small whine from Virgil.

“I don’t think I like heights.” Roman whispered. 

“Red.” Virgil grabbed a fistful of sleeve and stayed as close as he could to Roman as they continued their descent.

“Thanks Purple.” Roman whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Mr. Crofter.


End file.
